The Altaverse
by lonelyxlovely
Summary: I really liked the character Pike from the movie and this is what I think would have happened had things gone a little differently. FYI - Angel is human.
1. Chapter 1

_I've had this idea floating around in my head for a while now, so I figured I'd better start writing it down and posting it up here. Essentially, I've taken the Buffy-verse and changed a few events. Buffy has just transfered and Angel is perfectly human. I'm going to pretty much follow the story lines, but I can't guarantee they will be perfect. PLEASE give me comments. I can only make it better if I know what needs to be changed. _

**FIRST DAY**

Angel watched the petite blonde walk through the door and into the office. Despite her size, she seemed to fill the room with a kind of danger than made him curious. His thoughts seemed to shatter when a young man walked up behind her in the office. He put a protective arm around her and Angel knew there was probably no chance of them ever being together, but he had to try...maybe.

"Earth to Angel," Xander, his friend, said, waving a hand in front of his face.

"I think he's gone," Jesse, another friend, told Xander.

Angel shook it off. He gave them a crooked grin and shook his head.

"I'm still here," he chuckled softly.

Willow walked to where they were and sat down next to Xander. She put her backpack down and started rummaging through it. Angel's eyes had drifted back to the office, only to find that she was no longer there. He looked back at his friends quickly, trying not to let them know that he had indeed been trying to catch a glimpse.

"Are you okay?" Angel asked her, nodding at her bag.

"Yeah...I'm fine," she said, finally looking at them. "Are you? You look distracted."

The warning bell buzzed at them. The three guys groaned in unison, while Willow stood up and actually seemed to beam. She slung her bag pack over her corduroy-clad shoulder and motioned for them to get up, too. Grudgingly, the three got up and went to class.

A girl roughly her own age was walking her to her first class, English. She let the girl lead her down the hallway, only barely aware of what she was telling her about the school. She nodded every now and then to feign interest. When they past by the basement door, an odd chill swept through her. She made a mental note of it. It could be worth checking out.

The girl finally turned to a classroom and went in. Buffy followed promptly. An older woman with greying brown hair stood at the front. Buffy forced a smile as the teacher told the class who she was and where she was transferring from. The girl with the red hair and gray jump suit that had led her here took a seat toward the middle of the room. Unfortunately, the only seat available that Buffy saw at the moment, was one directly to the girl's left. She took the seat and didn't say a word as the teacher began the class.

Buffy vaguely remembered the girl's name. Something with a 'W,' but she hadn't really been paying much attention. The girl turned to her shyly.

"I could help you get caught up. I mean, if you want," she whispered.

Buffy just nodded lightly, pretending to be engrossed in the lesson of the day. The girl seemed to collapse into herself, as though her confidence had been punctured, letting all of the air out of her.

After class, Buffy caught her at the door. She pulled her just to the side of the door and let go of her arm.

"Hey, I'm sorry," she apologized.

"Oh, n-no. I-it's fine," she stammered.

"No, we got off on the wrong foot and I want to make it better," Buffy insisted.

She hesitated, not sure of what to say next. Social interaction had somehow gotten harder after Merrick died. School society used to be so easy. Now, fighting vampires felt more comfortable to Buffy.

"I'm Buffy," she finally said, reintroducing herself.

"Oh. Uh, I'm Willow."

Buffy offered a hand to Willow. Willow took it and lightly shook. There was a precision about Buffy's grip that Willow was unsure of, but accepted it anyway.

"So..." Buffy said, still uncomfortable.

"Oh right, uh...your next class is right down here," Willow replied, pointing down the hallway and starting walking in that direction. Buffy followed behind.

Angel sat daydreaming in class. His thoughts were totally engrossed in the girl that he had seen in the office. When the history teacher called on him, he stammered out an answer that sounded like it could have possibly had to do with the lesson. The teacher was taken back when the answer was correct, though she still eyed him suspiciously. He had always been good at history, regardless of if he had read the chapter or not. The disruption from his dreams were still enough to keep him from venturing further into them. He picked up his pen and began taking down the notes that the teacher had just written on the board. Mostly, it was just something to keep him occupied until the bell rang.

After class, Angel met Jesse and Xander at their usual spot outside on the benches behind the science wing. Willow, however, was missing from the scene. Angel sat down on the bench opposite them and let his bag fall carelessly to the ground.

"What happened to Will?" Angel asked them.

Jesse shrugged. It wasn't like Willow to be late to meet them. Suddenly, they heard two voices coming up behind them. Jesse and Xander turned to look. Angel struggled to hide his grin of happiness when he saw the blonde from the office.

"Hey, Will," Xander greeted her. "And new girl."

"Buffy," Buffy said and waved. She gave them only half a smile.

Angel still felt the danger in Buffy that he had felt when first saw her. It didn't dissipate any when she was there next to them. Willow seemed a bit oblivious to it, but the three guys felt it. Xander thought it had to do with her eyes. They seemed to tell a story of loss. The three of them introduced themselves to Buffy and tried to shake the odd feeling.

'More to hurt,' Buffy thought sorrowfully to herself. She had already gotten her watcher, Merrick, killed. Were these four next now?


	2. Chapter 2

_Okay...first things first...mmooch, I like to let things progress naturally. At this point in time I can't even tell if she's going to end up with Angel or Pike. This story is unfolding in my mind as fast as it can at this point. I am hoping to get chapters up in a fairly reasonable amount of time. I am a very busy girl though, so please don't stop reading if I can't get chapters up. But...on with the story!_

**Let the Game Begin**

"Into every generation, a Slayer is-" Rupert Giles, the new librarian and apparently Buffy's new watcher, was cut off by his new charge.

"-is born. She alone will have the strength and skill, yada yada. I've heard it okay?" she shot.

"Buffy," Giles told her, "this isn't a game. It isn't fun. Its not-"

"I know!" she raised her voice at him. She took a step back from the counter at the front of the library that they were both standing at and drew in a deep breath. When she exhaled, she said, "I know," in a much calmer voice.

Giles shuffled some things around on the counter top and pushed on his glasses a little. He cleared his throat before talking again.

"Are you ready to continue training?" he asked her.

"Anytime," she told him, somewhat cheerfully.

"Meet me here after school everyday. No excuses," he told her.

She had already turned and was walking away. She waved a hand at him.

"I'll be here."

Pike was waiting outside the library door. When she opened it, he straightened.

"So, how was he?" he asked, nonchalantly.

Buffy sighed, "just another old British guy wanting me to meet with them alone after dark."

Pike chuckled and put an arm around her, steering her towards the front door.

"Classes?" he asked.

She just gave him a look and he flashed her a knowing smile.

Angel couldn't help but stare when he noticed Buffy and the guy that always seemed to be around her walk out to the court yard. They sat at a picnic table and began talking. The guy would laugh every now and then, but Buffy never cracked a smile.

"Bro," Jesse told him, "you have got to end this obsession now. Its not healthy."

Angel chuckled and shook his head.

"I'm not obsessed," he informed him, "Just curious."

Jesse shook his head in disbelief and continued eating his apple. Xander had a textbook open attempting to study. Willow was seated on the grass beside the bench that the 3 boys were sitting on with her last class's assignments spread out before her and a pencil in hand, not paying much attention to any of them.

The rest of the day went on as normal for the 4 of them. Angel was the only to notice Buffy going back to the library, rather than home afterwards. He was curious but decided to go home instead of sticking around.

Buffy walked into the library with Pike tagging along beside her. Giles came out of his office with a book in hand as well as a stake. He handed the stake to Buffy before looking up from his book.

"I, uh-" he said, stumbling over words that he couldn't form.

"He knows, Giles," she informed him. She sighed, "Giles, this is Pike, Pike this is Giles."

Pike nodded and smiled goofily.

"Please continue," Pike told the older man.

"Why," Giles asked insistently, "does he know?"

"You can't keep him out of it trust me, " she informed him, "I've tried."

"Its true," Pike beamed.

Giles just sighed and took his glasses off to clean them rapidly. He motioned both of them as he started walking. In one corner of the library, he had cleared away bookshelves and had replaced them with mats and various other training devices. Buffy stepped toward the area with no hint of fear in her eyes. She had seen enough to not see this as a challenge any more.

"Interesting spot," she mumbled.

"I'm sorry?" Giles asked.

Buffy shrugged. She had grown quite fond of the abandoned warehouse that Merrick had had her training in. Training in this civilized area almost seemed an insult, but she would follow his orders the best she could. It was what Merrick would have wanted.

Pike took a seat on top of a nearby table and looked on. Buffy walked to the mats and began to stretch out while Giles explained what he wanted her to do. She didn't hear a word of it. Her thoughts had already faded back to Merrick. She went through the exercises that Giles led her through with a glazed look, but accomplished them perfectly anyway.

A while later, Giles was bent over trying to catch his breath. Pike watched in amusement.

"Uh, yes," Giles said in between gasps, "very, uh, very good. Pike?"

Giles motioned at Buffy who was still very much in her own thoughts. Pike jumped down off the table and took her arm. At his touch, she blinked as though coming to. Their eyes met and a secret message seemed to pass between the two that Giles couldn't decipher. He simply shook his head and headed back to his office, wiping sweat off his brow as he went.

It had grown dark outside when Buffy and Pike made their way out of the library. A light bang caught her attention. She stopped to listen. Pike let go of her shoulder and listened, too. She turned toward the noise and began to walk towards it. A little louder bang sent her into a sprint. Pike ran after her, but fell behind quickly.

Buffy ran straight for the locker rooms and burst through the single door to the women's side. A window at the top of the wall banged shut in time for Buffy to reach the inside. She knew it was too late to try and catch whoever had already left the scene. Pike finally came running in, a little winded. She motioned for him to be quiet and began probing through the locker area. Satisfied with finding nothing, she headed back towards Pike and the two walked out the door and, finally, out of the school.

Outside, someone watched them from the shadows. She grinned evilly and slipped even further into the shadows, fleeing the scene. The Master would be pleased with her knowledge.

The next morning, Buffy was surprised to see an ambulance and a police car sitting outside of Sunnydale High. She watched as two men in white uniforms wheeled someone out on a gurney. She couldn't see who it was because of the sheet that had been draped over the body. She cringed a little inside. Had this been the victim of whatever had escaped out the window last night?

"Oh, erm," Giles started when he saw Buffy enter the library, "good morning, Buffy."

He smiled at her before blowing on his mug of tea. He took a quiet sip and set the cup down on a table.

"Was it a vampire?" Buffy blurted out.

Giles gave her a puzzled look before answering slowly, "I believe so. How did you -"

"I saw something last night. If I had only been a few minutes sooner I could've saved him. Or her. Which was it?"

"Uh, him."

Giles picked the cup back up and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Its not your fault, Buffy," he told her kindly.

"But I was right here," she insisted, backing away from his hand.

Pike strolled in with a sloppy grin on his face as usual. When he saw Buffy looking upset, his face immediately fell.

"Well I'd ask if you were happy to see me, but what happened?" he asked.

"Someone was killed last night. In the locker room," she said quitely.

Pike walked over and embraced her. He held her close, attempting to soothe her. She took a deep breath and pushed him away.

"Just one more to the list," she shrugged.

Angel watched her sitting by herself at lunch. She looked so sad today. He picked up what was left of his own lunch and walked towards her.

"Is this seat taken?" he asked politely.

Buffy's eyes slowly came up to meet his. She sighed, but Angel couldn't detect disgust, so he sat down. He awkwardly leaned forward in an attempt to make himself look more comfortable than he really was. She looked back down at the indescribable mess that was lunch today without a word. Angel glanced back at the others who were gazing curiously in his direction. He waved at them to reassure them; it didn't work, as they continued to stare at the both of them.

"So..." Buffy trailed off, startling him.

"U-um," he stuttered, trying to regain composure. "I just saw you sitting here all by yourself and figured you might like some company."

"Well she's not really alone," a new voice said behind him, "but you're more than welcome to stay."

Buffy shot Pike a look as he sat down on the other side of her.

"I'm Pike," he said, offering a hand to Angel.

"Angel," he replied, cringing a little under the older boy's obvious possession of Buffy.

Pike attempted to make conversation while Buffy sat in a stupor. He didn't know how much longer he could keep covering up her social awkwardness. She had been so cheerful and bright before Merrick had been killed by Lothos in Los Angeles. Now, almost anything could set her off into one of these moods. She needed help that the Watcher's council was definitely not going to acknowledge.

Meanwhile, under an old abandoned church, the woman from the shadows bowed down deep before a grotesque looking vampire.

"Master," she began. "I have great news."

He extended a pale, taloned hand towards her and grinned, almost fatherly.

"Yes?" he asked patiently.

The woman took his hand and stood to meet his gaze.

"The Slayer is here," she exclaimed.

The Master's grin widened. He clapped his hands together and folded them.

"Excellent work, Darla," he beamed.

Darla's smile widened as well when she saw how this news affected him. The smile became a mischevious grin.

"What are we to do with her?" she asked.

"My time is coming," he informed her, as well as the other minions that were in the chamber, "and I have a feeling she will have a role in it all her own."

He sneered and laughed evilly into the cavern. More than slightly afraid to not, his minions joined in with him until the entire church rang with maniacal laughter. The Master silenced abruptly. The minions all slowly did the same nervously. When the Master knew he had their attention, he said, "what are you laughing at?"

_FYI: I might only go through the first two episodes for now, just because this is looking like its going to turn into something much larger than I had originally intended. The more reviews I get though, the more likely there will be of more episodes later._


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